By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, Dec 3: Former KHADC Chief Executive Member (CEM) Titosstarwell Chyne said that the present Executive Committee (EC) could have followed up on the working plan which was already submitted to the state government for setting up of toll gates by the Council instead of preparing a fresh one.
“The working plan was prepared by a committee comprising representatives from the Council and the state government. We had indicated the areas which have been proposed for setting up of these toll gates,” Chyne, who is the Opposition leader in the KHADC, said.
According to him, they had clearly defined the provisions which empowered the Council to set up toll gates. He added that they had also identified the legal and illegal toll gates.
“We would have gone ahead to implement the working plan if the government had approved it,” the former CEM said.
Stating that he was confused after reading news reports that the Council would come up with a working plan by December, Chyne observed that there was no need to redo the whole exercise when the working plan was ready.
He said that the present EC can urge the state government to approve the working plan which was earlier submitted by the Council.
Replying to a query, Chyne said that there are possibilities that the present EC is unaware about the work done by the previous EC.
Meanwhile, the former KHADC CEM also claimed that they had closed down many of the toll gates beginning 2021. “The previous EC did not renew the lease agreement of many of the toll gates,” Chyne claimed.
Earlier, KHADC CEM Pyniaid Sing Syiem had said that the Council is concerned about the number of toll gates operating in different parts of the Khasi Hills region.
He had also informed that they are working on the list of toll gates operating in areas which fall under the KHADC, which would be sent to the District Council Affairs (DCA) and Law department. (Contd on P-4)
Titos slams EC over…
(Contd from P-3) “By the end of December 2023, we will be able to produce the list and only those toll gates which are included in the list will be able to operate as toll gate, check point of the Forest department, revenue or trading by non-tribals” he added.
Syiem had earlier also revealed that the EC has asked the KHADC Secretary to prepare a list of toll gates operating under the jurisdiction of the Council.
“With regard to toll gates, there is a committee which is headed by DCA department where all ADCs are members along with the PWD,” said Syiem.
According to him, the committee deals with the operation of toll gates according to the provisions of the Sixth Schedule, Forest Act, Trading by Non-tribals regulations, among others.